We all know that the use of mobile phones is banned whilst driving. Or are they? The answer, according to the High Court’s recent decision in Director of Public Prosecutions v Barreto [2019] EWHC 2044 (Admin), is that it depends what you’re doing with it. What did Mr Barreto do? Ramsey...
Is it possible to know the sentence you might get before you plead? In some cases, yes, and that might be enough for a defendant to plead guilty. For some, if they know they won’t go to prison, then they won’t fight a trial. In the Crown Court a sentence indication can be...
The Government has published new plans to make the roads safer for everyone. The plans include several changes for people at every stage of life, and also for more specialised drivers like HGV drivers and motorcycle riders. Children The Department for Transport has granted funding of £225,000 to Good Egg Safety to develop...
The Government has published the new Economic Crime Plan for the next three years. In it, they unveil their strategy for dealing with all types of economic crime, such as money laundering, fraud, market abuse, and bribery. What is economic crime, and why is it important? Economic crime is wider than financial...
Recently the government announced incentives for prisoners in custody focussing on positive reinforcements. In doing so, the longer-term aim is to assist rehabilitation and prevent re-offending. A further announcement has been made on the same theme, and this is to assist ex-offenders in obtaining employment by removing the barriers once they have left prison....
Over the next six months, benefits and incentives for prisoners are undergoing a change. New rules place emphasis on positive reinforcements – praising prisoners for behaving well – rather than punishment. The new Policy sets out the rules and guidelines for Governors and Directors of prisons but leaves a lot of freedom for...
Over the last few years, we have seen many matters that would previously have been prosecuted before the criminal courts, move into the jurisdiction of other bodies. What we see as a result is a range of specialist regulators best placed to react to perceived industry failings, and if necessary, meet out swift and...
We have all read newspaper articles reporting that a drug dealer or fraudster made hundreds of thousands from their offending but was ordered to pay back a much smaller amount. That is not always the end of the matter. What are the proceeds of crime? If a defendant is determined to have had...
You have been convicted of a crime you didn’t commit, your appeals are exhausted, and you serve time in prison. Part way through, you’re eligible for parole. You hope finally to get out and put this behind you. The parole board give you their decision, but parole is refused, seemingly because you refuse to...
Recently, three men from Halifax were convicted after one of them was found to have run a company whilst disqualified. The other two were convicted of assisting him. If you’re thinking of trying to evade a director’s ban, be aware that it can lead to a criminal conviction and even prison. Why was...
